Control

Something that I personally find very frustrating about life is that just when you are starting to feel in control of yourself and your life, life reminds you that ultimately you cannot have a firm grasp over all aspects of living, and regrettably to subject yourself to sociological and biological rules.

Since coming back from spring break I have been very good about going to the gym and eating good healthy meals, at the expense of my rest. As a result, I found myself getting sick earlier this week, but rather than attacking it at the outset, I ignored it, hoping it would pass, and continued to overwork myself until yesterday, when I woke up completely exhausted and down with a very bad cold.

It reminded me that there are things that we do have control over, and should absolutely make sure we maintain, such as our health, social lives, grades, relationships, etc. but there are limits to our control over these things. In college, I have a wide range of options for how to spend my time, but sacrifices must be made as there are only 24 hours in a day. In my case, I gave up sleep, finding it a small opportunity cost to the fitness that I valued more. But this has implications. When making decisions, we can't simply consider our own values, or ultimate goals to put certain things over others, but must also consider the consequences that result from by not choosing other things.

Getting sick is definitely not easy, especially right now, as I have two tests next week and a very busy weekend, so I will have to be careful about allocating my time to things that will help me accomplish what I want to and not distract me from these goals.

Another thought on this topic.

I was talking to a friend of mine, who is currently a sophomore, and she said some interesting things about setting goals and whatnot. She told me that it's important to maintain a GPA, because your resume is what will get you an interview, but to go further than that, and where you go from there depends on your soft skills: your people skills, team work, communication, etc. I never really thought about this because I was always so focused on making good grades in high school, but I'm starting to realize how important these sort of things are. It's good to value your grades, it's good to be focused on your studies but it is equally as important to make sure you are a well-rounded person with good values and who is trustworthy and respectful.

Anyway, I'm trying to take it easy today and still get some work done so we'll see how that goes.

Have a nice day!

Hanna